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Chapter 2. Say Hello to Social Networking

What's in It for You?

A trusted network is a group of like-minded people who have come together in a common place to share thoughts, ideas, and information about themselves. These groups sometimes include more than 100 million registered users that host more than 10 billion photographs—as with social networking site Facebook (www.facebook.com). A trusted network can also be as small as a single, influential person.

These social networks develop the trust that ultimately creates influence among your consumers. By developing and cultivating networks, your organization can create an opportunity to develop the trust that may result in more sales.

The desire to participate in conversation and influence prospects prompted the writing of a "Sales Manifesto" for a Fortune 500 client by James Burnes, vice president of development and strategy, Internet strategy, of creative services firm MediaSauce. The following excerpt showcases the need for embracing networks to drive business:

Why do we sell the same way we always have? Because it's safe and reliable. Because it's what we know. Because we've become entrenched in thinking that what we have to say is what our customers want to hear. Because it has worked for the past (insert number) years!

But the world is rapidly evolving. Advertising, messaging, and communication behaviors are changing more quickly than how we tell our story. Worse, our messaging is competing more and more with the noise that overwhelms ...

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